Maharashtra ATS Arrests Rapido Rider From Mumbai's Mahim Over JeM Links; Sharing Masood Azhar Speeches & Posting 'Jihad' Comments Online

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a 33-year-old Mahim resident for allegedly circulating inflammatory radical material linked to the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), including speeches by its chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. The agency’s investigation has also flagged his social media posts supporting jihad and calling on Muslims to take up arms.

The accused, Mohammed Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar, a Mahim resident who works as a Rapido driver and sells perfumes, was suspected of being in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs). The ATS handed him over to Mahim police, which registered a case under Section 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint, filed by an Assistant Police Inspector with the ATS’s Kalachowki unit, states that the agency had received intelligence inputs about Akhtar’s alleged radical online activities, including social media posts and material shared through Telegram groups.

ATS Examines Telegram Activity

Based on the information, the ATS’s Kalachowki unit detained Akhtar on October 21 near Mahim Metro station, in the Laxmi Building area, and took him to its ATS Kalachowki Unit office for questioning. During the investigation, the agency found two audio recordings of speeches by JeM chief Masood Azhar shared in a Telegram group named “Indian Muslim” on June 1.

According to the complaint, the group was allegedly administered by Akhtar. The two files, titled “Massod_AZhar_Aik_Farz_ka_Inkar_1of2” and “Massod_AZhar_Babri_Masjid_Ki_Pukar_1of2”, were approximately 30 minutes long each. One reportedly concerned the Babri Masjid issue. Akhtar was also found to be an active subscriber to ‘Ibn-e-Qasim’, a Pakistan-backed extremist Telegram channel used to disseminate propaganda.

Social Media Posts Under Scrutiny

The ATS also alleged that Akhtar had posted comments on various social media platforms, including X, Instagram and Telegram, in a manner that could promote religious enmity and disturb public order. The case concerns his alleged online activity between May and October 2026.

According to the ATS, Akhtar’s Instagram account, ‘hassanshekh6603’, carried a comment on September 8, responding to a news report about a security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai. He allegedly wrote, “kuch karana tha indira gandhi ki tarah modi ko bhi bhai log”, calling for an act against Modi similar to the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Investigators have also found numerous posts across his Instagram and X accounts supporting armed jihad and urging members of the Muslim community to take up arms.

Complaint Details Alleged Inflammatory Comments

Among the comments cited in the complaint, Akhtar allegedly wrote on X on May 15, “Ab jihad ka zamana agya hai” (the time for jihad has now arrived). Responding to a post about a weapons-training camp organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in Odisha, he allegedly commented that every Muslim should also keep and take up weapons.

On September 26, replying to a post by the news agency about the killing of a Muslim man outside a police station in Rajasthan, Akhtar allegedly commented, “Phir hum atankwadi hoga yeh log pareshan hogne,” roughly translating to, “Then we will become terrorists, and these people will be troubled.”

The complaint also cites a comment allegedly posted on May 15 in response to a post comparing the Kamal Maula Mosque case with the Babri Masjid dispute, in which Akhtar allegedly wrote, “Ab jihad ka zamana agya hai” (“The time for jihad has now arrived”).

On September 27, replying to a post about local residents taking to the streets at midnight to save a 600-year-old Shahi Mosque following administrative action, the accused allegedly commented on X: “Jihad karo bhai log Allah ke liye agar hindustan me islam masjid madrasa ko dekhna chate ho to,” urging people to wage jihad in the name of Allah to preserve Islam, mosques and madrasas in India.

Other comments cited by the ATS included a call for jihad across the country over alleged oppression of Muslims and a comment calling for Hindus to be banned from Kashmir. The complaint also records a comment on a post by Rahul Gandhi referring to AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and his party in Assam.

ATS Documents 39 Screenshots

The agency documented 39 screenshots of the allegedly objectionable posts and comments on the phone and seized the device, according to the complaint. The police case relates to alleged online activity between May 4 and October 18.

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